Lessons Learned- Connecting America's Past to America's Present... and looking back at 8th Grade Social Studies.


The purpose of studying history is to learn from past experience. An accurate sense of history is important to leadership- not just in politics, but in almost any endeavor in life. An number of quotes relate to this. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. If you don't know where you're going, at least remember where you come from... And, in America, where our country is more about ideas than backgrounds- and where anyone who believes in and lives our founding ideals about equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is welcome to join our nation as a citizen. We hope that they'll be an active participant both in the private and the public sphere.

  • So what topics did you learn the most from this year that relate to your interests and ambitions?
  • Who did you meet in our study of American History that you admire? Why?
  • What events that we studied most connected with you? Why?
  • What is your take away from this course?
  • What did you learn that surprised you and changed your opinion about things?
  • Which topics didn't we get to or study in enough depth that you wish we had done more with?
  • What did you learn how to do better in this course that you think you'll use in the future?
  • Which activities and experiences were most rewarding and why?

This is an open-ended discussion from which we'll get your ideas for making this course better for next year's 8th graders. Every year we change things up to keep things more interesting and relevant.

Don't just post your own on thread. Please interact with each other. Let's have a conversation about America's past- and America's present as it is explored in 8th grade Social Studies at Harmon.